The present invention relates generally to the field of catheter systems for performing diagnostic and/or therapeutic procedures. The present invention relates specifically to catheter systems including a user interface and/or workstation for controlling a robotic catheter system, an inflation device for the inflation of an angioplasty balloon and/or stent, a contrast media delivery device, and/or other related systems.
Vascular disease, and in particular cardiovascular disease, may be treated in a variety of ways. Surgery, such as cardiac bypass surgery, is one method for treating cardiovascular disease. However, under certain circumstances, vascular disease may be treated with a catheter based therapeutic procedure, such as angioplasty or stent placement. Catheter based therapeutic procedures are generally considered less invasive than surgery. If a patient shows symptoms indicative of cardiovascular disease, an image of the patient's heart may be taken to aid in the diagnosis of the patient's disease and to determine an appropriate course of treatment. For certain disease types, such as atherosclerosis, the image of the patient's heart may show a lesion that is blocking one or more coronary arteries. Following the diagnostic procedure, the patient may undergo a catheter based therapeutic procedure. During one type of therapeutic procedure, a catheter is inserted into the patient's femoral artery and moved through the patient's arterial system until the catheter reaches the site of the lesion. In some procedures, the catheter is equipped with a balloon or a stent that when deployed at the site of a lesion allows for increased blood flow through the portion of the coronary artery that is affected by the lesion. In addition to cardiovascular disease, other diseases may be treated with catheterization procedures.